Recap: Kamen Rider Ghost, Episode 28 – Bursting! Power of the Depths!

The Ganmaizer is ablaze and approaches Takeru. The luminaries pop out and something happens. The Ganmaizer has a new form and Takeru goes Grateful.

Back at the temple, the –ri couple are worrying about Takeru. Kanon says Alain-sama is a strong man. Cubi, meanwhile, is very frustrated about his slump. He storms out. But Onari and Akari are shocked to see his latest painting… is actually good!

Nobunaga pops out to help Takeru escape. Takeru struggles to drag a limp Alain along.

Over at Deep Connect, Hikoki Ganma is playing some great orchestral classics. But Igor is disgusted by these hack attempts at a Deep Connect theme song. Hikoki Ganma runs off in tears.

Cubi, meanwhile, continues painting beautiful pictures. Beautiful to everyone else but him, that is. He asks them how to get out of this slump. Akari suggests he changes his mood or expand his horizons.

Kanon follows Cubi and tries to comfort him. But right next to them is Hikoki Ganma, much to their surprise. Even more surprising, both Cubi and Hikoki Ganma just want to make beautiful art, paintings and music.

Hikoki Ganma explains that Igor acts all cocky when he does not understand music. So being jerked around like this, Hikoki Ganma is now unable to compose.

Back in the G World, Aria finds Takeru and Alain and leads them to a safer place. Along the way, Takeru breaks the news that daddy Adonis died protecting Alain from Adel. Aria can’t believe it.

Suddenly, the Ganma security forces show up. Aria says she’ll take care of this while they go ahead. She asks Takeru to take care of Alain. Edith watches from the shadows.

Onari, Akari, Shibuya and Narita find Kanon, Cubi and Hikoki Ganma. But so does Igor who is upset with Hikoki Ganma.

Igor henshins to Knife and plans to eliminate both the traitors. But Akari has her upgraded Shiranui and fires at Igor. Only, it doesn’t do a single thing. Igor knocks her down the hill onto Hikoki Ganma.

Onari tells Cubi to paint Igor, but Cubi says he can’t since he’s in a slump. Akari then asks Hikoki Ganma to attack, but his attack just eliminates sound. Igor attacks Hikoki Ganma.

Onari decides to fight off Igor himself with just his staff. But suddenly, Javert pops in to save him. He forces Igor to dehenshin.

Before leaving, Javert tells Onari that his debt for the onigiri and sticker has been repaid.

Igor vows to eliminate the abnormals. But Akari walks over and slaps the sh-t out of him. She says both Cubi and Hikoki Ganma have hearts and then proceeds to mock him calling himself a scientist.

Igor stumbles away.

Takeru unsuccessfully tries to get Alain out of his stupor as the G security finds them again. Takeru goes Boost and tries fighting everyone off. He goes Beethoven, but it’s not enough.

Good thing Makoto-niichan arrives just in time.

Takeru goes Billy the Kid and Makoto-niichan goes Nobunga to finish off the remaining security patrol.

They head outside and Takeru explains to Makoto-niichan what happened. Makoto-niichan screams at Alain and tries to get him to wake up. Alain says to just leave him be as he has nothing left. No father, no perfect world, not even a heart.

Makoto literally knocks some sense back into Alain and reminds him that he believes in him. Takeru says Alain does have a heart and it is because of that that he is suffering right now.

Adel and the Ganmaizer appear. Adel is in intent on eliminating his unnecessary brother. But Alain is finally awake. He gets up and screams.

“I finally understand,” Alain says.

The Ganmaizer gets into its fighting form. Makoto sees his newest Eyecon glowing. The luminaries shine at Takeru’s face.

It’s time to henshin.

While Makoto-niichan and Alain charge toward the Ganmaizer, Takeru is transported to some kind of strange vision of the Prayer Room.

The tablet monoliths suddenly zap him before returning him back to real life. But Takeru finds he cannot move his body.

Makoto and Alain try some finishers, but not even a scratch on Ganmaizer. Finding that it is too dangerous, Makoto takes Takeru and they with Alain jump through an eye portal.

They are back in the real world on the beach. Takeru’s body is still semi-frozen. Gramps Sennin can’t believe the Ganmaizer have awakened.

Speaking of, the Ganmaizer appears on Earth with some basic Gs.

Seeing Takeru and Alain down for the count, Makoto-niichan decides to use the brand new Eyecon.

Makoto henshins deep to Deep Specter.

With the power-up, Makoto-niichan has no problem taking care of all the just arrived-Ganma. That includes wrecking Ganmaizer with a Giga Omega Drive.

Makoto helps Takeru and Alain up from the sand.

Alain calls him Specter, but Makoto says to use his real name. Alain uses it and they hold hands.

Takeru is very happy.

The others come running since they were nearby.

They tell them about Cubi and Hikoki Ganma deciding to wander the world together to try and get out of their slumps. Cubi says farewell and thanks them for everything.

Kanon gives Takeru one last painting from Cubi. It is a very beautiful picture of them all as friends.

Episode Thoughts

Hmm… I guess this was an okay episode. At least it wasn’t as schizo as the last two episodes.

The intro of Deep Specter wasn’t as exciting as it could’ve been though. I think because of how Makoto just pops up and Edith handing him the Eyecon, it was a little underwhelming.

Alain snapping out of his stupor didn’t have as big an impact, especially when in the preview, we see him still sulking to Grandma Fumi. Aria’s reaction to their father’s “death” or evaporation, at least, was also a little awkward.

Turning Igor into a bumbling idiot was also very strange. The last couple of episodes, he’s been vicious and vindictive. But here, he wants a theme song and whimpers away after getting slapped by Akari. Very odd.

Javert’s little scene was nice though.

Also underwhelming is the apparent wrapping up of Cubi’s purpose too. He and Hikoki Ganma just traveling the world together? After all that? I guess his main purpose was to show Takeru that Ganma can have hearts and minds of their own. But still, it was also an awkward little send off. Cubi painting Onari’s funny head in the picture was very amusing though.

I don’t really know what to think of the Prayer Room monoliths or Edith and Grandpa Sennin. It’s been all teasing with nothing much to chew on quite yet.

Ill be honest, the “Human world” part of the episode feels so unnecessary. For one, they already established that there are “not eril” Ganma with Cubi and that lady Sword Ganma, so the Hikoki Ganma really serves no narrative purpose (and he is already too similar with the previous twoi with that “I just want to do X” thread).

Also, they’re skirting a huger elephant here. What happened to Cubi’s human body. they hinted that the so-called “Ganma” are basically the projections of the souls of those humans lying in the capsules. But they oddly omit this plotline when it comes to “monster” Ganma like Cubi and the other MOTW’s. So, what gives?

And the Demia Project” plotline barely moved an inch.

But what I am really disappointed here is with what happened to Igor. He was introduced as a rather intriguing cfharacter with his and Akari’s clashing views as to what science would be (heck, they even gave “science” an equivalent in the Ganman language). But they apparently can’t sustain that heavy theme and thus turned Igor into a silly miniboss instead. TYhat’s really a waste of a potentially engaging villain character, something that Ghost is sadly a bit short of (Alain has already switched sides and Adel and Edith are still not that compelling enough).

I think that may be the show’s biggest problem so far. We still don’t really know what the Ganma are or why they exist. Not even a hint of it after 28 episodes. Strangely enough, the season has been very character-driven, yet there isn’t really much of an overall plot other than Takeru needing to come back to “life.”